Domedagsprofetior från Sequoia

Sequoia har under decennier varit en av de mest framgångsrika riskkapitalisterna inom teknologi/media/internet.

Några av de bolag man backat har varit:

- Apple 

- Google

- Linkedin

- Paypal

- Yahoo!

- Youtube

En vän med insikt tipsade om att det sipprat ut lite information från Sequoias möte igår med sina portföljbolag. Budskapet från Sequoia var inte direkt muntert, tex sa man:

"...that these are drastic times and that means drastic measures must be taken to survive..."

"...warned that companies need to be cash-flow positive, and if they are not, then they need to get there now, because raising capital without being cash-flow positive is going to be tough..."

"...some interesting advice for startups.

   * Cut spending. Cut fat. Preserve capital.
   * Throw out the models and spreadsheets, because all assumptions will be wrong.
   * Focus on quality.
   * Reduce risk."

"* Unprofitable companies would have a tough time raising cash, so get cash-flow positive as soon as possible.

 * Go on the offensive and pound on your competitors’ shortcomings.
 * Be aggressive with your messaging and be out there. In a downturn, aggressive PR and communications strategy is key.
 * Decline in M&A will mean that only lean companies with sales models that work will get bought.
 * When it comes to deciding between capital preservation and grabbing market share, he advised that everyone should be preserving capital."

En mer utförlig artikel finns här.

När en auktoritet som Sequoia har denna inställning bör alla fundera på konsekvenserna. S&P 500 på 909,92, ner -7,62%. Ouch, den här härdsmältan kommer vi se konsekvenserna av under en lång tid.